It's my birthday
and I'm fifty-nine
and I heard a song
by a paranoia producing
songwriter
who said that
it was too late
and this message
seems to come through
to us often
so I know I shouldn't say never
but I'm saying it
and it's not too late
and even if I die right now,
death is no end to life
and even then
it's not too late
and then comes the question,
"Too late for what?"
"This?".

Naturally, I don't know
anything about this
but it has occurred to me
that maybe we have it all wrong
about the Anti-Christ
like maybe he or she
is not so bad after all
since it is God,
whoever that is,
that wants to **** us all
because he's probably
the big everything
so what he says goes
and God and His Son
then, have some idea,
according to the Bible
to **** just about all of us
so maybe the Anti-Christ
is some man or woman
who wants to save us all
and this 666 stuff,
which is the sign of the beast
is the sign of the animals
because animals are beasts
so he or she wants to save
all of the animals, too,
of course, the poor Anti-Christ
doesn't stand a chance
against the big everything
who can do whatever he wants
so maybe we've got it all wrong
about this stuff.

"Who am I?"
Me, but not
the word me.
"What am I?"
A man but not
the word man.
"Where am I?"
Here but not
the word here.
"When am I?"
Now but not
the word now.
"Why am I?"
Because I'm me,
a man, here and now,
but not those words.
"How am I?"
Fine.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
I don't know...

I come from a past
of relentless suffering
that is a place
called Samsara
which is none other
than life,
so now I reside
in a place
that is a paradise
called Nirvana
which is none other
than life,
and the difference
is a simple understanding
which depends on how you look
at life
but in order to get here
I needed much work
at self-imposed brain-washing
or should I say
Mind-Cleansing.

This is the place
where, as the poet said,
"All is desert"
and I am deserted
so it is where
I am sitting in a chair
listening to a ticking clock
and I crave
some action
like I thought
I used to have
and the phone rings
so my heart rises
only to sink
as it is a charity
wanting my money,
but here comes the surprise -
boredom is the transcendent thing
that is the empty life
of peace
that is so beautiful,
so as I am sitting here
in this lighted desert
I remember.

This summer
has been hot
but the mornings
are quite nice
as I have been
sitting outside
with a cup of tea
by the flowers
with the chair
placed strategically
on the bricks
and I think
"Oh, I get it...
life actually is good."

So this morning
I was tired
and passing out
on the chair
so I decided
as a good Buddhist
to wake up
and defeat sleepiness
so I went
out to the patio
where it was cool
and meditated
dropping off occasionally
until at last
after much trying
I defeated sleep
and woke up
and Buddha has said
that sleep is the closest thing
to death.